It’s SUMMER!!!!

In praise of the longest day of the year:

At 07:28 EDT, the our Star, Sol, will appear to be at it’s farthest northern point.  In fact this is the moment when our north pole is pointed most toward the sun.  This is the “longest day of the year.”  We have the most daylight time on the Solstice.

As a kid, I didn’t know what this meant, really, or why it happened, I just knew that it was the “longest day.”  School was out, and a distant (and mostly unpleasant) memory.  But June 21 was the day!  I looked forward to it.  I planned for it.  I wanted to take the maximum advantage of this “longest day.”

I would jump on my bike as soon as I possibly could, and go out and travel.  I’d use this long day to great advantage.  I’d go somewhere far away.  Of course, in my world, this didn’t mean much, as I still had to do chores before I left, and had to be home in time for dinner.  But to me, this was exciting.  It was the longest day!  It needed to be observed.

In point of fact, I could have made those trips on almost any day, but there was something special about it being the longest day, and the beginning of Summer.

Tonight, a bunch of us will be marking this day by doing a ride that will start at 8:00 PM.  We’ll ride into the night, traveling around the outer limits of our city.

It’s good to mark these days, the arrival of the seasons, the turning of the globe.  It’s good to re-visit the boundaries of our home.  It’s good to go out and ride with friends.  And a warm and pleasant night ride almost doesn’t need an excuse.